This phone obsession I hate!!

I suppose it is. I don’t know about being addicted, I miss my grannies input’s, if I don’t go on for a few days. Maybe I am slightly addicted ☺️

I am addicted to my phone. It replaced TV and reading as well. Due to my dry eyes, I switched to Audible and YouTube for language learning which has become my hobby in my senior years and lately AI! I have downloaded 6 types of free AI and I ask all my questions, issues on current events. It has become my therapist and travel and budget advisor. So my phone is my source of communication, information and entertainment. I can't do with out it.

MayBee70

Having been banned from Facebook ( still don’t know why) I’m now finding my way round instagram. Thus far I’ve been able to chat with a few people who I used to know on Facebook but I’m still trying to work out how to download pictures.

I'm used to FB throwing my friends off at intervals and it seems to be because they've not used protective language. We've all had to learn there are words one cannot use - or FB algorithms will go for you (eg it's Covid "carrots" for instance = the jabs) is one fake substitute word we have to use or the algorithms have a go. "Unalive" is a substitute word for "I've had enough - I'm outa here/off Earth" and we can't use the "s" word - because there's an algorithm set up to pick that out.

But yep...that has been by far the biggest problem - ie having to find a substitute word as regards matters to do with Lockdown and Covid.

It's nuts that we have to be protective like this about using perfectly ordinary words and concepts - considering that a mainstream article recently explained in detail just what Facebook censors are supposed to be there to look out for - and it was awful - real nasty stuff and I couldnt do a job looking out for the sort of stuff they're supposed to be there looking out for (eg child porn, genuine violence etc) and people pay to watch it!!!! That sort of stuff is fair enough for the censors to go for - as my hair was going white just reading what they're supposed to be removing and often have to.

So I really wonder why the heck they sometimes go for normal people just exercising our right to "freedom of speech" about normal subjects.

Having been banned from Facebook ( still don’t know why) I’m now finding my way round instagram. Thus far I’ve been able to chat with a few people who I used to know on Facebook but I’m still trying to work out how to download pictures.

Hello everyone. I am new here. I tend to follow a few things on UTube,and if course use WhatsApp for keeping in touch. Still I find things popping up and end up scrolling.
What I found useful was to set parental controls! Of course I can change that easily,BUT it makes me stop and think. I've found it works for me

I can relate, but then I am interacting with you on Facebook!
I make excuses for myself, ‘just while I detest my meal’ etc.
I successfully deleted Twitter when X became a cesspool but still sometimes miss it.

Yes this is me too!

I deleted all my friends on Facebook and kept the groups I still want to be a part of. I also don't have the app on my phone. I have to log in if I want to see something in a group and I go straight to it because there's nothing else in my feed. worth doing.

I'm horribly addicted to a game on my phone. It wastes so much time! I rarely read Facebook threads these days as I don't often see what used to be there when I first joined but I wouldn't want to lose access altogether. I use WhatsApp loads. I have various family groups, clubs and societies I'm in and various social groups. We have family group videos to from time to time and am constantly receiving photos of my grandchildren. WhatsApp is the thing I'd miss most.

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Never been on Facebook and never want to. My husband signed up a couple of decades ago and let's me know if he has something interesting that he thinks I might be interested in. As far as I've ever seen, he has never written a comment or replied to anything.

Neither of our sons have ever been interest and in their teens (they are both now (c) 30) used to say. "No-one under 40 is on Facebook!". I guess those 40+ year olds are now 60+ years olds!!
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albertina
You too are on social media now
This is for everyone who thinks WhatsApp isn’t a social media platform.

www.integriti.io/post/is-whatsapp-social-media#:~:text=Definition%20of%20social%20media&text=When%20considering%20the%20somewhat%20strict,boundaries%20of%20%E2%80%9Csocial%20networking%E2%80%9D.

Flakesdayout
No app designer is going to make it difficult to download or use.
That would defeat the purpose: to get you to spend money.

NannieChicken

No social media for me. I have friends who spend their life on it, or playing games where you build a farm etc. They will sit for hours, which isn't healthy. These games and social media are stealing their lives away bit by bit.

You’re posing on it here. 🤷‍♀️ What do you think GN is if it isn’t social media?

nanna8
A group of us were banned because for 2 years we asked, pleaded , insulted FB trying to get them to take down the Chinese clothing etc adds.

I am a bit concerned about how long I spend on my phone. No social media for me but I am part of 2 Whatsapp groups, One for the brood of puppies my puppy belongs to and the other for the quiz team I am in.

On Sunday I saw something really sad. It was the day of the Great North Run. As I walked my puppy home the Red Arrows flew over us very noisily and in spectacular formation. A boy of about 14 was so engrossed in his phone he didn't even look up.

I also only use my smartphone for messaging, WhatsApp, making calls. I have just used it to make an online purchase and managed to instal the Easyfundraising app so that I can get donations for one of my favourite charities. I am another who does not use Facebook, X or any of the others out there. I will occasionally go onto Instagram but only to look at my DIL's new pictures of the grandchildren.

Whenever I have had a new smart phone, I go through all the apps and delete or disable ones I don't want to use including Facebook. Every day I check Facebook but only ever on my laptop never on a phone.

This old iPhone sent me an email ‘we saw u peeking…’ I was stunned as I was only looking to book an eye exam and it knew I’d been on the website but not via an email reminder that I had couple months ago… very scary really🤷‍♀️

Mt61

I am the same. No social media, WhatsApp groups, or FB.

This is social media

you can just set up a new account. The algorithms will quickly pick up what you are interested in. Good tip though about the time limit. I'm going to do this.

Yes, but mine is checking late at night.

I read Gransnet as soon as I wake up. Also check my emails, news from my local football team on the fans forum. After that it's newspaper headlines. Also the Sky news app. I can get lost on Gransnet and time flies by. I don't do any social media. I also spend a little time before I go to sleep.

It's very addictive and I do try to limit my time. Talking of addictive, I do worry about my granddaughter who seems to spend a great deal of time looking at her phone, it seems like an addiction to me which I think has taken hold.

The settings on my phone it tells me how long I have spent on it during the day, it's far too long some days!

Blondiekins I am exactly the same! Waste hours scrolling but don’t want to come off FB as many people I have worked with or are friends who live far from me post snippets of their life which I follow. Self control needed I guess. A friend has come off FB on her phone and only uses it when she gets her laptop out. It seems to be helping her.

It is hard and very addictive. I'm retired and find it hard not to pick my laptop, phone or Kindle just to read. I will read anything of interest or not as the case may be which can be annoying because I think well I'll just read the daily news and drift onto something else and before I know it a couple of hours have gone by.
I'm still looking after GCs but to a lesser degree as the youngest GS (who only turned 4 in July) has now started school. So now it is school pickups, some swimming lessons and babysitting when their parents have late shifts. So to a certain degree there is even more time to faff around with IT media. DH no longer looks after 3 other GCs which is somewhat of a relief because they would sink into their ipads and were rude and surly when interrupted and their parents said everyone does it (as if rudeness is an okay thing!)
I think the hardest thing to deal with is the guilt for being so absorbed by IT and I have to force myself to walk to the post box just to get moving. I was thinking setting myself the task of every time I see a reel with exercises that I actually get up and do the activity!
At least when I was looking after GS I was taking him playgroups, swimming etc which got me out and mixing with other GPs because I was actually getting depressed with the lack of people contact.
Using IT media (although absorbing) does not give you that physical contact with people and it is very easy to become anti-social and not see a soul from one day to the next. I like to see people even if only for a coffee or a chat whereas DH is quite happy with his own company day in and day out. But I would love an experiment where nationally, internationally or whatever that the internet is turned off and seeing how people then spend their time. I would probably still pick up a book and read - what would you do?

No social media for me. I have friends who spend their life on it, or playing games where you build a farm etc. They will sit for hours, which isn't healthy. These games and social media are stealing their lives away bit by bit.